IND vs ENG first T20I | Varun and Abhishek revel at the Eden

IND vs ENG first T20I | The two blows could not deter Abhishek (79, 34b, 5x4, 8x6), who treated Mark Wood with disdain — hammering successive sixes over fine-leg and third-man and a straight four in the sixth over.

Varun Chakaravarthy wove his spin magic at the Eden Gardens — his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders’ backyard — and opener Abhishek Sharma cracked a blistering half-century as India thrashed England by seven wickets in the first of the five-match T20I series in Kolkata on Wednesday.

After restricting the visitor to a modest 132, the host rushed to the target in 12.5 overs, much to the joy of a packed house.

India was off to a rollicking start, plundering 63 in the PowerPlay despite losing two wickets to Jofra Archer in the fifth over.

Sanju Samson (26), who utilised his gift of timing to hammer 22 off Gus Atkinson’s first over, provided the ignition before ill-timing a pull. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav miscued one to the leg side.

The two blows could not deter Abhishek (79, 34b, 5x4, 8x6), who treated Mark Wood with disdain — hammering successive sixes over fine-leg and third-man and a straight four in the sixth over.

The southpaw used his feet well against spinner Adil Rashid. He hoisted Rashid over mid-wicket and long-on and Jamie Overton over fine-leg as he completed his half-century in just 20 deliveries. He fell to Rashid when the target was in sight.

Earlier, Mohammed Shami’s wait to return to international cricket got longer as Suryakumar chose to field three spinners amid speculation split over the pacer’s form and fitness, and India’s tactics.